23 Jan '15

Wickmayer makes fourth round in Australian Open

Summary

Outlasting the rest of Flanders’ pro players, Yanina Wickmayer beat Italy’s Sara Errani yesterday to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open

 

Best performance since 2011

Flemish tennis player Yanina Wickmayer came back from a set down to overcome Italy’s 14th seed Sara Errani and reach the fourth round at the Australian Open for the first time since 2010.

Wickmayer defeated Errani 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 at the Hisense Arena in Melbourne, continuing her impressive run of form this year. Currently ranked just 80, she’s the lowest-ranked player left in the Australian Open. The former number 12 had not reached the round of 16 at a major since Wimbledon in 2011.

Romania’s Simona Halep will be Wickmayer’s next opponent for a place in the quarter-finals. A former US Open semi-finalist, Wickmayer has won all three of their previous meetings, from 2010 to 2012.

Wickmayer is the last Flemish player left in the Open. An-Sophie Mestach, Kirsten Flipkens and Alison Van Uytvanck all crashed out in the first round.

Photo by Brandon Malone/Reuters/Corbis

Now read this

Flemish tennis

Winning four Grand Slams and two US Opens, Kim Clijsters single-handedly put Flemish tennis on the map in the late 2000s, and paved the way for the next generation of talented younger players like Yanina Wickmayer and Kirsten Flipkens.
Women on top - Before Clijsters arrived on the scene, Sabine Appelmans had long been Flanders’ most famous tennis player. She made it to number 17 on the WTA ranking.
Telly - Clijsters’ successes and massive popularity led the Flemish broadcaster VRT to sign a five-year contract to broadcast the Wimbledon tournament.
Boost - During Clijsters’ years at the top, the number of tennis players in Flanders increased by 40%.
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Clijsters wins her first Grand Slam

16

Grand Slam tournaments played by Clijsters

20

weeks Clijsters ranked number 1

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